Professional Background and Personal Learning Objectives
About Me
My name is Mike Bogle, and I am an eLearning Researcher from the University of New South Wales. My primary role in my unit, Learning & Teaching @ UNSW, is to research innovative technologies and evaluate how they can support learning and teaching, pilot new services, and provide consultative support for local academic staff interested in incorporating emerging technology into their curriculum.
Work History
I’ve been at UNSW since 2002, and began at the Educational Development and Technology Centre (EDTeC) on the Learning Resource Catalogue (LRC). This project sought to provide a central storehouse of learning materials, which could be used and reused by the academic community to support their teaching efforts. Encompassing 18 international institutions at its peak, the LRC eventually expanded to include a group area for facilitating community interaction and collaboration.
After the LRC I expanded into research as a member of the Authentic Learning Project, which explored the logistics and possibilities of field-based webconferencing. The project aimed to determine the feasibility of facilitating two-way link-ups between staff in remote locations and students in the classroom. A highly ambitious project, we established a proof of concept by successfully conducting a field geology lesson between a lecturer in Centennial Park in Sydney and colleagues on campus. Ultimately however we determined that the local infrastructure (strength and availability of wireless Internet access) and technical complexities of the setup rendered more widespread usage unrealistic in the short term. Furthermore the virtually complete absence of high speed Internet outside of urban centres make the prospect of remote field-work impossible.
One of the key outcomes to emerge from the Authentic Learning Project was the web conferencing pilot that I helped organise. Based on Macromedia’s Breeze, a web conference room was constructed that enabled groups of up to 12 people to connect with colleagues anywhere in the world to hold meetings, job interviews, and even student exercises. I facilitated the technical aspects of countless meetings, including a highly complex link-up with the UK for the ISSOTL conference in front of several hundred people, as well as a classroom exercise between local students of Japanese studies and their counterparts in Japan.
Concurrently to the Authentic Learning I began to explore the emerging realm of new media (aka Web 2.0, or social software) and joined a very short lived project known as the Land and Water Australia Knowledgebase as the technical consultant. The LWA-KB as it was called was part of the larger Healthy Soils Project, which sought to link together subject-matter experts from a wide cross-section of society - ranging from government and other public sector representatives, to private sector consultants and consultancy firms, to farmers and rural experts. Unfortunately this project was not meant to be and was terminated before it got off the ground.
The next phase of my professional development was on the front lines of eLearning support as the eLearning Delivery Coordinator and Research Officer. I worked across the eLearning portfolio in a support and testing capacity, liaised with ITS Help Desk and software vendors, provided consultative eLearning support to local staff, and concurrently ran the unofficial web conferencing service. In hindsight it was a huge undertaking, but I learned a lot from it.
Eventually I became fully devoted to eLearning Research and am now responsible for following trends in emerging technology, evaluating new tools and services, piloting new projects, and continuing to provide consultative support to local staff to help them realise their ideas. One of my personal missions is to help local staff realise the untapped potential in new media, and importantly to ensure sufficient attention to learning is maintained in the process.
Personal Learning Objectives
As discussed above, my background is primarily technical in nature. In recent years I have begun to explore the educational side of educational technology, with a particular emphasis upon the fundamentals - learning theory, learning styles, and holistic ways to facilitate the learning experience of others - but there is still much I would like to learn.
My objectives for exploring these areas - above and beyond personal interest - rests on my ultimate goal of enhancing and supporting the learning experiences and opportunities of others. I believe it’s important to understand how people learn, before you can effectively support them. Understanding how technology works is by itself insufficient. Tools by themselves are static, it’s the way they’re used and implemented, the interactivity that’s established, and the communities that evolve that make the most difference in a learner’s journey.
Specifically with regards to the course, there are several areas of interest. First and foremost is the opportunity to explore new areas and topics, and to stretch what I know into unfamiliar areas. Having looked through the introductions of the other students I’m also looking forward to interacting with a diverse group of people - many of whom are experts in their own right. There are tremendous opportunities in the wealth of knowledge this network carries with it, and I relish the opportunity to read through the blogs of the other students.
Additionally there is the chance to return to learning from a student’s perspective. It’s been 10 years since I graduated from uni, and while a great deal of personal and professional growth have occurred I think it’s important to return to the role of the student on a regular basis to remind myself what exists on the other side of the academic fence. To be an effective eLearning consultant, you must understand the needs of the learner; and the best way to do that is by becoming them.
On a slightly different note, I’m also really looking forward to the chance to see how the course is organised and facilitated. I’ve spent years researching new media as an individual, and have discussed, read and written of the learning opportunities inherent in emerging technology; however I’ve not yet experienced a course firsthand that wholly incorporates it.
Questions and Concerns
At this stage I have neither questions, nor concerns. I’m just looking to what lay ahead.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Hi Mike,
It was a pleasure reading your post and learning a lot of stuff about you. I am also very interested in this course, not only because of the subject itself but also because of the interactions that can occur among all these interesting participants like you. Thanks for sharing your expertise. I hope I can contribute at least a bit to the wealth of knowledge that will be produced along the course.
[Reply]
Mike Bogle reply on July 30th, 2008 12:59 pm:
Hi Joao,
I know what you mean. Having read through a number of the student blogs, I’m in awe of the wealth of expertise that exists in this group. There’s such a compliment to it all. There’s more technical people, experienced facilitators, people across all of the above, and I would suspect there’s people new to all of the above. Personally I think the latter is especially important as it helps remind us to maintain a holistic perspective as well as getting into the nitty gritty.
I’m really inspired so far.
Cheers,
Mike
[Reply]
July 29th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I can relate to your comments about the benefits of returning to the role of the student. The best part of this course is that it feels like an informal formal course. Is there such a thing?
In any case, there’s a different feeling about it. Exciting!
[Reply]
Mike Bogle reply on July 30th, 2008 1:05 pm:
Hi Sylvia,
I know exactly what you mean about the informal-formal course. It seems quite in keeping with Leigh’s accommodating facilitation style, and the overarching theme of openness from the wikieducator site. People are given the room to explore their own learning paths while the group as a whole is gently guided along together to ensure nobody is left behind. He seems to be walking the perfect balance.
I also like the fact he encourages a group-led learning model. I think that’s a tremendous opportunity in new media - it capitalises on the strengths and consensus of the group, while also accommodating the needs and ideas of the individual.
It’s a very inspiring experience so far. I just hope I can do it justice when I try to explain it to my colleagues.
Cheers,
Mike
[Reply]
July 30th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Hi there. I am just learning about all of this and am attempting to add your blog comments into an RSS feed on my blog. Hope it works. It is good to have some really helpful folk in the course.
[Reply]
Mike Bogle reply on July 30th, 2008 1:08 pm:
Hi Russell,
Nice to meet you. I totally agree about the people in this course. I’ve learned a great deal in just the first few days. Not only from a subject matter standpoint, but also about the potential in online learning that seems largely unexplored.
This is a great example of what’s possible I think. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Cheers,
Mike
[Reply]
August 3rd, 2008 at 4:51 am
hello Mike
I am watching the FOC08 course from the wings - as one of leigh’s colleagues who facilitated the course with him last year. I am having a hard time keeping my fingers off the keyboard and not participating - yeah cos distractions such as FOC will kill my study leave goals…to get a draft of the thesis finished.
I am absolutely intrigued by the numbers who have registered in the FOC08 course now it is openly advertised. Last year we ran the course for the first time using wikiEd, however students were given access via Blackboard and a formal enrolment process. This year we got the go ahead to have informal enrolments…wow it is proof of the open concept and evidence of the need for people to keep increasing their skills in facilitating online communities…so many experienced people.
So my way to manage having meager participation will be to check in on key blogs so I can get a sense of how it is all going…for the next time I get to facilitate the course. Also so I can keep the debate about teaching versus facilitation going with Leigh.
What is your sense of the newbie facilitators - isn’t the number of participants scarey for them as well as all the talk about technologies they have never heard of…how to manage this? Buddies? Keep a clear eye on the course schedule and keep plodding?
[Reply]
vcautin reply on August 8th, 2008 2:49 am:
“I am watching the FOC08 course from the wings - as one of leigh’s colleagues who facilitated the course with him last year. I am having a hard time keeping my fingers off the keyboard and not participating”
Funny thing, that happens to me too. When I have to observe student-teachers make their classes I always want to participate
[Reply]
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Hello Mike,
It’s great to meet you and thanks for taking the time to drop me a comment on my blog. I’m really looking forward to this class I feel like I have learned so much and it’s only week one. Looks like the people here are cool as well. I’m new to all of this so it’s going to be interesting.
So you’re originally from Ca? I used to live somewhat close to Long Beach over in Orange County. My fiancée and I just recently moved up here to the Bay Area and we just love it.
Say I noticed that you listed “the Art of Happiness” to your favorite books. I just started reading it myself and am really enjoying it! Well I’m off to the next classmate’s blog. Again thanks for posting and perhaps we can chat again in the future.
Brian Shimelonis
[Reply]
August 5th, 2008 at 11:48 am
[...] of our online class members, including Leigh Blackall (the class facilitator), Joao Alves, and Mike Bogle (whose posting inspired me to write this one), and decided I want to be a little more [...]
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:16 am
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